


A Coffee to Stay (The 'A Coffee to Go' Remix)

by DropsOfAutumn



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkward Flirting, Barista Keith (Voltron), M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:08:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24734428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DropsOfAutumn/pseuds/DropsOfAutumn
Summary: Keith Kogane, local mess of a man, was in love with a handsome student from Garrison U, when the only exchange of words they had had was over his coffee order? How unfitting would it be to be asked out by your regular barista whose only achievements were to not fail his Calculus classes and work in his mother’s coffee shop?Would it be strange to write Shiro’s name on his cup, making the ‘o’ heart-shaped? Would it be strange to ask him if he wanted his regular order and a date in the same sentence? Keith did not want to be a creeper.What was he even supposed to say? “That’ll be ten sickles, and your phone number, thank you.”No, Keith did not want to intrude that much.--Or: The one in which Keith works at a coffee shop and has a crush on his favorite regular.
Relationships: Allura/Lance (mentioned), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 117
Collections: Sheith Remix 2020





	A Coffee to Stay (The 'A Coffee to Go' Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Abyssiniana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abyssiniana/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Coffee to Go](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17191529) by [Abyssiniana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abyssiniana/pseuds/Abyssiniana). 



> Written for [Rita](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abyssiniana/pseuds/Abyssiniana) as part of the Sheith Remix Challenge 2020.  
> I really hope you like my take on your Coffee Shop AU. <3  
> It had coffee and autumn vibes, so it basically screamed at me to remix it. I had so much fun writing smitten Keith!
> 
> Biggest Thank You to the Best [Christie](https://twitter.com/appetixing) for reading over this for me <3.

*******

Keith Kogane was a grown ass man.

And as a grown ass man, he could endure a lot. Customers who would spend ten minutes deciding which drink they’d like to order for example. Or remaking the Venti Latte for the third time because it didn’t have enough shots in it. Or cleaning the sofas because some kids spilled their frappuccinos all over the covers. 

In the autumn of his third year at Garrison U, Keith found himself working in the  _ Brews of Marmora’s _ , a family-run coffee shop his mother had opened decades ago. He’d basically grown up between bags of coffee and towers of disposable styrofoam cups and the second he was old enough to help out after school, Keith had been introduced to the secrets of foaming milk and handling a portafilter. By eighteen, he had perfected drawing hearts and flowers on lattes, making customers swoon over him. By twenty, he could quote every regular’s order by heart.

Working in a coffee shop close to campus had confronted him with the most interesting sights. Next to the students trying to get their usual coffee fix to survive exams, he had seen professors ordering their drinks with way too many shots of espresso to be healthy, had seen stray tourists asking for directions and staying for the coffee, and had seen seasonal drinks sweeping in waves of customers and making his days harder.

Today was one of these days. 

The first breeze of autumn rolled around and for Keith, this meant only one thing: sporadic visitors turning into regular customers for what he loved to call  _ Pumpkin Spice Latte Season _ . Autumn filled the coffee shop with the scent of cinnamon and pumpkin spice. And with a lot of seasonal visitors, enjoying the most Instagram-able of beverages as it seems. 

One of these seasonal visitors was currently smiling at him over the counter. Her fluffy knitted sweater and the pink beanie in her flowing waves of impossibly silver hair had Keith guess her order before her words were spoken. 

“Let me guess, Pumpkin Spice Latte, with an extra shot of syrup?” he tried to be nice, he really did, but it was not even three and he’d already poured said beverage about fifty times today and had spilled a whole bottle of syrup over his apron. And, frankly, he was grateful for every customer not ordering anything pumpkin-related.

“How about a hot chocolate with oat milk instead? And a chocolate chip cookie.” The woman smiled, beamed even, at him. Keith felt terribly caught.

He had to squint a bit, but when he tried to imagine her without the beanie, Keith was sure he had seen her before. She was a student at Garrison U, who came by about once every two weeks, sipping coffee while cramped over books on economics or all snuggled up in the arms of her boyfriend. 

But, to be fair, she  _ did _ give off the perfect autumn vibes today. 

“One oat milk hot chocolate and a cookie, coming up!” Keith said.

Early afternoons were always slow. After everyone had gotten their first caffeine fix of the day or their post-lunch-espresso, orders slowed down in the  _ Brews of Marmora’s,  _ and Keith could take a breather for the first time in hours. He was grateful there was no queue behind the woman and only a few tables occupied with customers buried in books or conversations. As it seemed, it was time to put the overrated syrup aside for once. 

As he bent down to get the milk from the fridge underneath the counter, Keith noticed the woman was still standing where he’d left her, seemingly waiting for something. 

“Please take a seat, I’ll bring your cocoa to your table once it’s done,” Keith said from where he was crouching in front of the fridge, a bit perplexed. He had definitely seen her here before, she had to know how the baristas brought the beverages to their customer’s tables. It was one thing his mum had insisted on during one of her long speeches on why she hated what she liked to call ‘fast-food coffee chains’. 

The woman’s eyes glistened at Keith suspiciously as he shifted from one foot to another, tugging a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her eyes darted to her phone for a second before fixating on him again.   
  
“Say, Keith. Your name’s Keith, right?” she asked. And Keith sighed. Finding out his name was no rocket science, Keith’s mom had insisted on their aprons having big name tags on them. To Keith’s displeasure, it had caused a lot of people to try to engage him in small talk. And he hated small talk, especially when he had to pay attention to something else. Like brewing coffee for example.   
  
“Yeah, that’s me.” Keith pointed a finger to the tag while he used his other hand to open the box with cocoa powder.

“I’m Allura. I come here quite often, because, you know, my friend loves your coffee and never stops shutting up over your French Roast.” Wow, that woman was  _ very _ chatty. Keith did his best not to roll his eyes in front of a customer as he set aside the liquid chocolate and filled his steel jug with oat milk. 

“French Roast, huh? That’s quite bold.” And, to be fair, not a lot of customers liked to order the bold, pure black coffee. He only could name a few. 

Keith cursed at himself when the picture of one of his regulars came to his mind, bi-colored hair and a gorgeous smile… causing Keith’s attention to slip for a second and the foamed milk in his jug to spill over.    
  
He cursed when he felt the hot milk on his fingers, lifting the wound to his lips in a first instinct.

“Yeah, he has quite some unique taste,” Allura explained, her voice betraying her amusement. Wonderful, Keith loved nothing more than gleeful customers.

Trying his best to avoid looking into her eyes, he carefully poured the milk into the styrofoam cup with liquid chocolate, drawing a familiar shape in latte art.

“Say, Keith…” Allura started again, but Keith interrupted her, sliding her cup with fresh hot cocoa over the counter. On top of the beverage, a heart shape smiled at her. And where a mischievous grin had sat on her lips, a warm smile began to form.  
  
Oh well, it was the small things.

  
“Oh Keith, that’s gorgeous, thank you!” she beamed at him. Good thing he’d managed to change the topic. 

“But what would your girlfriend say? Turning heads with all these pretty hearts!”    
  
Keith only shrugged. “There’s definitely no girlfriend in the picture to get jealous over some latte art.”

As she looked at him over the rim of her cup, he noticed the mischievous sparkle in Allura’s eyes too late. “Boyfriend, then?” 

Keith shook his head, hoping she would not notice the red that he felt creeping onto his cheeks. 

“Come on, anyone special in your life? Don’t tell me you’re single!” The surprise in Allura’s voice seemed too giddy to his liking, making Keith crook an eyebrow at her.    
  
As much as he tried keeping his mother’s  _ ‘be nice to our customers’  _ mantra in mind, the words  _ ‘It’s none of your business’ _ were already sitting on his tongue. 

Lucky for him, a customer behind Allura cleared their throat, making Allura drop the conversation and shuffle to the side as the customer ordered a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

As he went on to make yet another one of his well-hated season specials, Keith watched Allura from the corner of his eye. He hoped he did not imagine the sway in her hips as she made her way to an empty table, furiously typing into her phone the second she sat down.    
  
*

Fate was a grown ass bitch, Keith decided.

Because five minutes after Allura stopped nagging him and sat down with her hot cocoa, fate decided to send him the man of his dreams – and he would pull Allura into a hug before sitting down next to her.   


The man of his dreams was, in fact, a regular. 

Keith’s favorite regular. 

Shiro. 

Keith had written the man’s name too often on styrofoam cups filled with freshly brewed French Roast not to memorize it by heart.

One too many times Keith had caught himself thinking that visits from Shiro could brighten his day.  
  
Keith loved seeing his smile, warm and open, always on his lips - even in the early morning hours when everybody else only groaned at Keith. He loved hearing his voice, wishing him a good day, or telling him how good his French Roast tasted. He loved watching him get lost in his studies, a cute wrinkle between his brows every time he pondered too much about a hard exercise.   
  
It didn’t exactly help that the man was gorgeous. Not only was he built like a hero from Greek myths. He also had kind eyes and a sharp jaw, and where he was sitting in the tiny window niche with Allura, the low light of the autumn sun bathed him in the most beautiful glow. It illuminated his bi-colored hair and the metal of his prosthetic glistened under the soft light. Altogether, the lazy glow of the early afternoon gave Shiro the aura of someone who had everything under control.   


This man really was gorgeous on every level. And Keith was star-struck.   


He had long passed the point of denial.

Keith Kogane, local mess of a man, was in love with a handsome student from Garrison U, when the only exchange of words they had had was over his coffee order? How unfitting would it be to be asked out by your regular barista whose only achievements were to not fail his Calculus classes and work in his mother’s coffee shop? 

Would it be strange to write Shiro’s name on his cup, making the ‘o’ heart-shaped? Would it be strange to ask him if he wanted his regular order and a date in the same sentence? Keith did not want to be a creeper. 

What was he even supposed to say? “That’ll be ten sickles, and your phone number, thank you.”

No, Keith did not want to intrude that much.

He had caught himself before, wanting to know more about the gorgeous man and his life. Of course, Keith was curious about the scar and the prosthetic arm. But how was he supposed to intrude on such a personal matter when Keith could hardly talk to him about the weather? 

And worst of all, what if he had a boyfriend? Or girlfriend? Someone like Shiro, who filled the room with brightness the second he entered, couldn’t be single. Could he?

Thinking about Shiro had more than once led to Keith getting lost in his daydreams and had ended in spilled milk or burnt coffee. And still, seeing the handsome man in this store, sharing subtle glances and soft smiles, never failed to make Keith’s day better and a lovely warmth spread in his chest.

And maybe, that was enough.

The sound of a cup banging against a table caught his attention and Keith’s eyes darted to where Shiro was sitting. From behind the counter, Keith couldn’t see Shiro’s face or overhear their conversation, but he could surely see the way Allura rolled her eyes before tossing some coins over the table. 

_ Wow, better not get on her wrong side. _

The coins on the table would give him the perfect excuse to walk up to their table – if it wasn’t for another customer waltzing into the coffee shop, ordering what must have been Pumpkin Spice Latte no. 63 of the day. 

As he had to pay attention to the espresso for a moment, it was only from the corner of his eyes that he saw Shiro reaching for Allura’s hand, squeezing it softly. 

Judging by their interactions, Keith could swear they were a couple. But he had seen Allura with her boyfriend before, a lean and loud guy (and Keith could have sworn he had seen him in his Astrophysics classes before.) 

And it wasn’t exactly Keith’s fault the latte art on this Pumpkin Spice Latte turned out to look more like a butt than a heart. But he couldn’t keep himself from stealing a glance when two minutes later, Allura’s hand came to rest on the side of Shiro’s face, a tender smile on her lips. 

His attempts to fix the artwork made it even more butt-shaped and Keith was happy he could hide the monstrosity underneath a styrofoam lid. 

After he’d handed out the change and the not-so-pretty- PSL to the customer, Keith’s eyes fell back to Allura and Shiro - just to notice Allura rushing out of the store, dodging his co-worker Ulaz in the process. 

As Ulaz came back to the counter, a tray full of dirty mugs and plates in his hands, there was a smug grin on his face, underlined by a wiggling eyebrow, causing Keith to roll his eyes at him. 

First Allura and now Ulaz. Did he have a sign around his neck that made people mock him today? 

“Want me to clean up that table?” Ulaz asked, his eyes shooting to the window niche where Shiro was now sitting. Alone. 

Keith playfully shoved Ulaz to the side and grabbed a wet cloth, making his way to Shiro. 

Maybe today was the day he could be brave. The day Keith could ask for more than his usual order. The day he could actually talk to Shiro. Now was the perfect chance, without Allura’s mocking eyes on him. 

Shiro had not yet ordered anything. Maybe that could be the perfect ice breaker? 

_ “Hey, fancy a French Roast and a date?”  _ sounded way easier in his head, even with his heartbeat rushing in Keith’s ears as he made his way to his favorite customer.

As he stepped closer, the radio in a low volume and the soft distant voices in the background seemed to smother down the thunder in his heart. 

He was really doing this, taking the initiative.

Once he stepped next to Shiro, he took a deep breath and bent down to clear the surface of the table on Allura’s side with his cloth.    


“Can I get you anything?” Keith asked, trying to will his voice to be as calm as possible. It definitely was not easy, not when his words did not want to leave his mouth in the first place.

_ Wow, real smooth _ , he mocked himself. His eyes focused on the tiny crumbs Allura’s cookie had left on the table and Keith was thankful for the excuse not to look into Shiro’s face.

“I’m fine for now, thank you,” Shiro replied. And Keith could swear his voice was cracking in weird places.    
  
Being so close to Shiro really was something else. He wanted to know more about the mysterious man with the warm smile; maybe ask for his name because Shiro could hardly be his full name. And calling him that felt like some sort of disservice to who Shiro was.

Or who he assumed he was. 

Keith tried his best to bring out the words again. 

“Waitin’ for someone?” The words came out more of a tease than Keith wanted them to be. 

And. Well. Suddenly Keith was not so sure if he really wanted to hear the answer to the question he’d just asked. What if Shiro really was waiting for a boyfriend? 

The two seconds it took Shiro to look at him with wide eyes were enough to make his heart take a leap in his chest, but when Shiro finally shook his head and muttered another shaky “thank you”, Keith had to turn around just so Shiro could not see the smile that sneaked to his lips. 

He was not waiting for a significant other. 

Maybe Keith was a fool to believe Shiro was actually single. But, just once, he wanted to be foolish.

It took two steps to remind his lungs that he needed to breathe in order to survive.

Maybe Keith had a chance. 

And maybe there was a spring in his step as he made it back to the counter. 

*  
  
When he returned to the counter, there was a customer waiting for Keith, ready to order another Pumpkin Spice Latte. And Ulaz, both of his eyebrows raised suspiciously. 

“What?” Keith growled, focussing on the espresso machine to avoid Ulaz’s gaze. One burnt finger was enough for today.  
  
“I have eyes,” Ulaz says.

The only plausible way to answer this dumb statement was for Keith to roll his eyes.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for Ulaz to drop the topic. “Oh, sweet, young love.” Did Ulaz just swoon? “What’s keeping you from going over and asking him out on a date, Kit?”

“Out? Like where? To Marmora’s?” Keith tried hard to focus on the beverage in his hand. “I work here, what if mum would see me on a date and…?”   
  
“Certainly there are other romantic locations in Daibazaal?” There was a mocking tone in Ulaz’s voice, but that did not help to make his statement more true.

There weren’t that many places, really. Daibazaal was a large desert town, aside from the ruckus that came with freshmen entering college, there was hardly anything happening.

_ “Yes, hello, I think you’re cute, let’s go on a date to Kral Zera! I’m sure you’re the type of man who’d have tons of fun in a political museum!” _ Keith mocked the scenario, feeling ridiculous for even considering Ulaz’s suggestion. A date? With this handsome man? Keith might know how to make customers swoon over latte art hearts, but when it came to flirting, let alone dating, Keith was utterly clueless. 

Still, his soul asked for something more, something he could only obtain if he dared to indulge in a longer-than-four-sentences-long-conversation with the handsome man.   
  
But Keith was not even sure if he was prepared for that. 

His guess was confirmed when he dared to let his eyes wander to his favourite customer – only to realize the man had his eyes on him, staring at him from across the room. Keith was definitely not proud of the way he stared back a bit too long, but it was so easy to get a little too enthralled in the beautiful eyes and the gorgeous features of the man.

A fake cough from Ulaz caught Keith’s attention, followed by another smug grin from his co-worker. And it was with burning cheeks that Keith tried to focus on the coffee in front of him.

“I don’t even know him that well. And what if he thinks I’m a creeper? Mom would kill me if I scared away a regular,” Keith explained as he finished the customer’s beverage. The heart on top was not more than a blob, and Keith was already searching for a plastic lid to hide another failed attempt. 

“Keith, please.” Ulaz ignored the death glare Keith sent him as he continued. “He comes here twice a week and every time he enters the shop, I can cut the sexual tension between you two with a knife.” Not leaving Keith with a chance to reply, Ulaz took off with a tray full of warm cinnamon rolls. 

And Keith was thankful for that. He was not exactly proud of the way Ulaz’s words made him stumble over his feet, sending him into the towers of disposable styrofoam cups next to the coffee grinder. 

At least it gave him an excuse to ignore Ulaz's nagging grin for the next couple of hours.  
  
*   
  
Shiro was mesmerizing. 

Especially now, when the sun was setting low through the windows, bathing Shiro in a beautiful orange hue.

The way he was lost in his notes, the way he frowned, the way his mechanic hand ran through his beautiful hair, and a groan left his mouth. Keith had seen numbers and formulas all over his notes earlier and,  _ wow _ , Shiro being so invested in his studies made him even more appealing. 

What if Ulaz was right? What if Shiro really came here just to see him and was just as smitten as he was? What if Keith could dream of getting to know the handsome man and going out on a date or sharing French Roast over Calculus notes during Keith’s breaks?   


“So, you still haven’t talked to him, Kit?” It was his manager, Kolivan, who pulled Keith from his thoughts. Causing Keith to send the stack of styrofoam cups in front of him flying again.

“Not you too, Kolivan,” Keith cursed, looking at the mess in front of him. Instead of a reply, Kolivan only huffed a weird mixture between a chuckle and a grunt. 

It sparked something in Keith.

“Fine. Watch me.”

And suddenly, everything seemed way too easy. 

He found his fingers fetching a black marker and scribbling down numbers on one of the styrofoam cups – not his finest handwriting, but legible. This had to do. Keith added a quick doodle, his own face with his hair pulled up in a pineapple bun and a pout for a mouth. Just so Shiro would be able to tell it was really Keith leaving him the message. 

It was easy pouring the coffee, something he had done so often before, and still, he took extra caution to grind the beans and let the black liquid run through the filter.

It was also easy stepping out from behind the counter, the distance to Shiro’s table both the longest and the shortest path he’d ever walked. Keith could hear his pulse rushing in his ears as his steps fastened and his hand trembled where his fingers were wrapped around the cup.

The easiest part in all of this, though, was setting the cup in front of Shiro - and turning on his heels.

He’d done it, he had really done it. He…

Three steps towards the counter, Keith let out a breath he had not known he’d held - and actually dared to glance over his shoulder.    


Shiro’s face showed the cutest mixture of bedazzled and panicking. It was endearing.

And it was enough to make Keith wink his way, a hint of a smirk curling the corner of his mouth. “For you,” Keith mouthed, though no audible words left him.

Once he had made it back behind the counter, Keith could see Shiro pull out his phone and type. 

And Keith had to fight his instinct to run and hide in the storage room, pretending it wasn’t his number written on Shiro’s cup. 

Before his feet could carry him away, Keith felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. 

Keith took a deep breath. Feeling about to combust like this was definitely not on his list of favourite feelings. 

**Are you for real?** The words on his display filled Keith with a warmth that spread from his chest right into his arms. He could feel it in his fingers as they trembled over the  keyboard. 

**Sunday. Pick me up at six.** He typed, his thumb hovering over the  _ Send _ button. 

His heart was racing, his hands shaking. 

He was about to do this. For real. He was – stopped by Kolivan clearing his throat behind him. 

Keith’s gaze flickered from Kolivan to Shiro and back to the comical amount of disposable styrofoam cups in front of him, wanting to be stacked. So, with a sigh, Keith resumed his task. 

It was only a few seconds later that a quick gaze over his shoulder told Keith that Kolivan wasn’t looking anymore. It gave him just enough time to pick up his phone again and, with a deep breath, hit the send button. 

And Keith could not help but stare at his screen.   
  
_ What if he doesn't like me? What if I just made up everything?  _ The thoughts were running wild in his head.

But there was no turning back.

The message was sent.

Delivered.

Seen.

And when he looked up from the phone, starting right back at Keith, the smile on Shiro’s lips was the most beautiful sight.

***

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> I'll try my best to reply to comments and would love to hear what you think!
> 
> You can find me on [Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/dropsofautumn)♡


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